One Man's View of the Market

Chris

Some interesting thoughts. I am not sure how much longer we will be motorhoming as we both have joint issues that even if sorted out which could take a while given current waiting lists. We are both approaching our late seventies so even if we get "fixed" I am not sure there will be enthusiasm to carry on. So I think I am looking through the other end of the telescope at what price I might get for my van. We paid about £50000 for our current motorhome in 2019 and we have added about £2000 worth of extras. When I look online at prices people are asking for the same van it averages out at near to the price I paid. I even found one that was priced at £10000 above the new price!!! I might strike lucky and get a reasonable price when I decide to sell. I doubt I would sell it privately so I am likely to get a lot less than what they are being advertised for. Now conversely anyone with a motorhome that is between 10 and 15 years old purchased secondhand and in good condition might well get back what they paid for it given the massive inflation we have seen in new prices. 

Not so sure about swapping the engine out on your van. I read one horror story where they needed a new engine and gearbox and it cost £15000. Not only that but it went wrong again and they have had to have yet another, I assume, reconditioned engine. They were van lifers and I think the stress has caused them to look at an alternative lifestyle. 

David

The idea of swapping engines comes from doing that on my then commuter bike (a Honda Deauville NT700) which had well over 100K miles on it. It was cheaper to put in a new engine from a low mileage scrapper than it was to repair the duff power down one of two cylinders such was the cost of parts. I would certainly not do it if there was nothing wrong with the current engine on the Hobby which has only circa 58K miles on the clock! So likely I can clock up another 100k.

P.S. I quite like the Chausson Sport Line S 514 in terms of layout but not finish if I were buying new. It looks half finished to me:

a) The butterfly bed smacks of camping rather than MoHo and badly needs some rugs/tapestries or similar on the bed underside both for looks and temperature & sound insulation.

b) The toilet tambour door and the flimsy velcro fastening are an absurdly bad joke at these prices. 

c) The oven is in a totally stupid place

Maybe next year's model will be better finished. The basic idea is sound and a good use of space.

Chris

It does seem we are at a bit of a crossroads. Those who want to caravan will probably need to have smaller lighter vans because of tow car capabilities. This may well cause more people to think more about possibly changing to motorhomes. May be smaller lighter caravans will mean a reversion to the sort of caravanning many of us started with. Small vans, smallish cars. Really just a couple of steps up from camping. Probably still great with families. I think the motorhome market will probably remain buoyant. 

There is another element to this and that is facilities for motorhomes. We know that on the whole much of europe provides easier facilities for motorhoming than the UK, with aires etc. The UK is getting better but there is pressure for more authorised overnight stops that are not full on campsites, and there is also pressure for better motorhome parking in towns for those staying on campsites but using their van to travel during the day. If there is a bit of a move from caravans to motorhomes then hopefully there will also be a review by councils and the like about facilities if they want he "tourist pound".

Came across another video about motorhome pricing from someone in the market to buy a new one. One might have thought that with the explosion on prices for new motorhomes since Covid that pressure would be there for prices to stabilise or perhaps wishful thinking, come down a bit. It seems we might be in for the shock of them getting even more expensive! The guy in question was looking at the latest Bailey Adamo range. These are based on a Ford chassis and several manufacturers have been swapping to the same platform in recent years. Not sure whether this was due to availability or price or maybe both? When chatting to the dealer the guy in question was told that they expect prices of motorhomes on the Ford platform to increase by as much as £8000. Now I don't know if that is due to upcoming Fords being new models which is usually accompanied by increased prices? It looks as though early to mid £80,000's will become a sort of average prices in the next year or two if what he was told becomes a reality!

David

Looks like my ultimate ambition of something modern around 6 metres coach built with an auto-box on a Ford chassis will require a lottery win!

I shall likely have to stick with a 5 speed box and just maybe aspire to something with a 6 speed box and 5 years younger!!

But then this might just be the salesman's ploy: "Buy now before the price goes up."

Chris

Councils want the tourist pound to come by public transport or the elite drivers of EV’s. They don’t want motorhomes or anything that doesn’t tick the nut zero box. 

That’s not true. Our local councils are supporting the Route YC and promoting motorhome participation. 

Agreed, Micky. The tourist £ is very important in some areas and is welcomed by councils however it gets here. That is why we are gradually seeing the acceptance of overnight parking for MHs in certain designated spots. The key factor is that councils, and everyone, want to see responsible behaviour.

Where I live in Southport we have the C&MHC site which is right next to Victoria Park and most weeks in Summer there are CVs and MHs on Victoria Park as well, some of which seem to be rallies and I believe that the CC organise some of the visits as well.  Nearly every week throughout the year there are MHs parked on the prom overnight, the fees are payable on parking meters but they are very reasonable.  It is very obvious that Sefton Council are happy to encourage caravan and motorhome visitiors, most probably as they are a good source of revenue for the council.